ISRAELI DRONES WERE WATCHED BY U. S., BRITAIN

jerusalem » U. S. and British intelligence cracked the codes of Israeli drones operating in the Middle East and monitored their surveillance feeds for almost 20 years, according to documents leaked by an American whistle- blower and published in international media Friday.

Reports by the German magazine Der Spiegel and the investigative website The Intercept said the details emerged from documents leaked by Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who leaked millions of documents about U. S. government surveillance in 2013.

The reports said the intelligence agencies were able to watch information that the drones and other aircraft broadcast back to their handlers.

The project, codenamed Anarchist, has operated since 1998 and was based near the highest point in Cyprus. Israel was the focus of the program, but it also hacked into systems in Egypt, Turkey, Iran and Syria, the report said.

Flint lead levels too high for some filters B

flint, mich. » Federal officials Friday warned Flint residents that water samples from more than two dozen locations have higher lead levels than can be treated by filters that have been widely distributed to deal with the city’s contamination crisis, underscoring the need for all residents to have their water tested.

Dr. Nicole Lurie of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services said the lead level in some Flint locations has exceeded 150 parts per billion, which is the level for which water filters are graded. In one case, it was in the thousands. She said people with levels over 150 ppb were being notified and their water retested.

“We aren’t completely sure” why the readings are so high, Lurie said.

Naval officer gets 40 months in scandal B

san diego » A federal judge on Friday sentenced a Navy officer to 40 months in prison for providing confidential ship routes that enabled aMalaysian contractor to bilk the Navy out of at least $ 20 million.

Lt. Cmdr. Todd Dale Malaki provided the routes in exchange for cash, the services of a prostitute and luxury hotel stays in Singapore, Hong Kong and the island of Tonga.

Malaki is among nine defendants who have pleaded guilty to bribery charges, including the case’s central figure, Singaporebased executive Leonard Francis. The gregarious businessman bribed Navy officials with extravagant gifts to obtain information that helped his Glenn Defense Marine Asia steer ships to Pacific ports with lax oversight, where Francis’ company submitted fake tariffs and other fees, according to the criminal complaint. Francis is awaiting sentencing.

Body- parts marketers indicted B

grosse pointe park, mich. » A Detroit- area couple marketing body parts for medical training failed to disclose that heads and necks came from bodies infected with disease, according to a federal indictment unsealed Friday.

Arthur Rathburn and his wife, Elizabeth Rathburn, operated International Biological Inc., which rented out body parts for medical or dental training.

They’re charged in a 13- count indictment that alleges fraud and false statements.

Animals seized in raid

B raleigh, n. c. » The ASPCA is carrying out one of the largest rescues in the organization’s 150- year history, seizing 600 dogs, cats, horses and other animals from a no- kill shelter in North Carolina.

It’s a massive operation about an hour southwest of Raleigh, where about 300 dogs arrived Thursday night. More of the animals are on their way.

The animals had been held at a private shelter called The Haven- Friends for Life, managed by Stephen Joseph and Linden Spear, who appeared in court Thursday on animalcruelty charges.

A state inspection found the animals had inadequate water and medical care, and the shelter had not had a state license for more than 10 years.